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Friday, October 16, 2009

You had me at INCREDIMAZABLE

As you know, I've been extremely excited about the upcoming high school production of Thirteen Reasons Why in Illinois. (As a recap, here are links to my previous two posts: So Much Drama! and So Much Drama! - 2) The other day, I opened an e-mail containing several letters written by students and teachers involved in the play. I'd like to share some excerpts from those letters, followed by a message for the students in Antioch.

Letter 1I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so supportive of our production of your INCREDIMAZABLE book! I love the story and I think that this book has helped bring us all closer together in understanding what goes on in each other’s heads.

Letter 2Thank you. You had enough faith and trust in us (even though you didn’t know us) to take your book and make it into TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY the stage play. The process has been amazing. Without you, none of this would have been possible. Sure, we still would have put on a fall show. There still would have been a play so the thespians would not go insane or go through withdrawal. But none of this magic could have happened. And that is exactly what this experience is for all of us: magical. Everyone involved has had their eyes opened up about these serious subjects. We have learned that no matter how insignificant you may think your actions are, they affect others. You have given us the wonderful opportunity to not only entertain the public, but also to educate them.

Letter 3First off, we’d like to say we love your book and its message very much. It has caused us to think before we speak, help those who need it most, and do our best to be excellent friends.

Letter 4Your novel has spoken to me because I’ve actually felt like Hannah before. I felt disgusted and depressed with myself so much that I felt like hurting myself. But then, after your book came into my life, it made me realize that deception, heartbreak, and complicated relationships shouldn’t be reasons to do something horrible to yourself. It has taught me that it is alright to reach out to someone when you need help. Your book has changed my outlook and perspective on life completely and has molded me into the young woman I am today.

Letter 5I do not read much but I loved your book and could not put it down. I really enjoyed reading the book and having the opportunity to be a part of bringing it to life and hope that your words can help inspire our school.

Letter 6TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY you should come to Antioch, IL...13. We would like to meet the author of the book that compelled us to adapt it into play form.12. We would like you to be able to celebrate this experience with us.11. Not all of us are “avid readers,” but none of us could put this book down.10. We would love the opportunity to converse with you about your process of writing this book and our process of putting this production together.9. We would love for you to have the chance to see your story come to life.8. The play has brought many new faces to our stage.7. The book/play will open up avenues of conversation among students, parents, and ourselves.6. It has opened our eyes and made us aware of those around us.5. We have implemented the same preventive measures with our freshmen class.4. It would be a wonderful experience for our community to meet the man behind the scenes…or, rather, the tapes.3. The characters and the text are realistic, yet open to interpretation.2. If you walked through the door, some of the females are likely to cry or possibly even wet themselves.1. ACHS is proud to present “TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY.”

What else can I say? I would be absolutely honored to attend your production.